resemblance between Leann and her brother, either; in terms of temperament, they were worlds apart.
“Rick, please,” his mother admonished. “Don’t be rude. This is Sheriff Brady from down in Bisbee. She and Leann were on that news program together the other night, the one I taped. You and Sherry haven’t had a chance to see it yet.”
“I’m sure it’s no great loss,” Rick said.
What is the matter with this guy? Joanna wondered, but she turned back to Lorelie. “How is Leann?”
“They keep telling me it’s too soon to tell. She’s heavily sedated right now. They’ve installed a shunt to drain off fluid to reduce pressure on her brain. She may be all right, but then again, she may...” Lorelie broke off, overcome by emotion and unable to continue.
“She brought it all on herself,” Rick Jessup groused from across the room. “God is punishing her. If you think about it, her whole life is an abomination.”
Lorelie Jessup rounded on her son. “God had nothing to do with the attack on Leann. If that’s the way you feel about it, why don’t you just leave? I don’t need you here spouting that kind of garbage, and neither does Leann.”
“What’s an abomina—?” Jenny began. Joanna squeezed her hand, silencing the child.
Lorelie crossed the room until she and her son were bare inches apart. For a moment, Joanna worried the war of words would escalate into a physical confrontation.
“Why would you say such awful things about your own sister?” Lorelie demanded. “How could you? I want you to apologize, both to her and to me.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Rick Jessup returned coldly. “After all, it’s true. Face it. Leann Jessup is nothing but a godless dyke who doesn’t just sin, she wallows in it. This is the Lord’s way of giving her a wake-up call. I’m sick and tired of making excuses for her, of even being related.”
“Whatever happened to the part of the Bible says ‘Judge not ...’?” Lorelie asked calmly, her voice turning to ice. “If being related to Leann is a problem for you, Rick, don’t worry about it. There’s an easy solution to that—stop being related. But if you decide to write Leann out of your life, remember one thing. If you don’t have a sister, you don’t have a mother, either. Get out of here. By the time I come home from the hospital, I want all of you out of my house.”
“Just like that? All of us? You’re throwing me out over her?” Rick’s face was tight with fury.
“Just like that!” Lorelie returned.
“But what about Junior?” Rick objected. “What about your grandson?”
“I guess I’ll just have to learn to take the bad with the good,” she said.
For a moment, Rick seemed bent on staring his mother down. When she didn’t look away, He backed toward the door. “I brought you over,” he said. “If I leave, who’ll drive you home?”
“I’ll walk if I have to,” Lorelie said determinedly. “The company will be better. Now go!”
Rick Jessup went, taking much of the tension from the room with him, while Lorelie turned back to Joanna. “I’m sorry,” she said. “There’s nothing like bringing your family feud right out in open.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Joanna said.
